Future service and business models related to district heating solutions in residential districts

The underlying assumption of this study is that in order to retain the competitiveness while reaching for the EU targets regarding low-energy construction, district heating companies need to develop new business and service models. How district heating companies could widen their perspective and switch to a more service-oriented way of thinking is a key interest of our research. The used methods in our study are workshops, house builder interviews and a questionnaire. With the help of these methods we developed new service models and discussed the potential interest in them by acquiring a comprehensive understanding of the customer needs. The results indicate the importance of some certain criteria when choosing the heating system in households: easiness, comfort and affordability seem to dominate the house builders' preferences. Also environmental awareness seems to be a surprisingly important factor when making a decision about the heating of the house.